Rear-view hat-mirror.



No. 736,418. PATENTED AUG. 18; 1903.

L. D. MBRRIGK. REAR VIBWIHAT MIRROR. APPLIOATION PiLED MAR. 30, 1903.

R0 MODEL.

" 3: ATTORNEYS,

m: NORRIS PETERS co. FHQTOLITNQ. WASHINGTON, n c

Fatented Augi1st18, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

'LYCORTES D. MERRIOK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

REAR-VIEW HAT-MIRROR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 73 6,418, dated August 18, 1903.

Application filed March 30, 1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lvooarns DELOS MER- RICK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Rear-View Hat-Mirror, of which the following i 'is a full, clear, and exact description.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a small mirror and frame and means for at: taching the frame to a hat or cap and for adjusting the mirror in its frame, the attachment to be made to the under face of the brim of a hat or to the vizor of a cap at one side of its front center, whereby the wearer without turning his head may see the reflection of any objects in the road, street, room, or space behind him.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth,

and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification,

in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device and a hat to which it is applied, the hat being in position on the head, which View illustrates the location of the device upon the hat and the manner in which the device a is used. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the gain access tothe mirror. Fig. 6 is a per.

spective view of an end cap for themirror- 3 frame, and Fig. 7is a perspective view of the combined pivotal and locking device for con- .necting the mirror and its frame with the supporting-bracket.

A represents the brim of a hat to which the device is attached; but it will be understood that the device may be attached to the vizor of a cap with equal facility and with equal 7 advantage.

The device consists, primarily, of abracket sible.

Serial No. 150,178. (No model.)

B and a reflecting member 0, which is pivoted in the said bracket, which may be termed a bracket-support, and is adjustable in the bracket-support, so that the said reflecting member may be given any desired inclination, so as to bring the said reflecting member in perfect and convenient position within :ity extending, preferably, from the forward upper portion of the top member 10 to the bottom of the vertical lines of the side or cheek members 11, as is best shown in Fig. 3, and each side or cheek member 11 is provided with a series of apertures 12, which are concentric with the curved edges of the said side or cheek members 11, as is also shown in Fig. 3.

The bracket is adapted for attachment to the brim A of a hat or to the vizor of a cap at either one or the other side of its front center at its under side, usually at the lefthand side of the center, and the attachment of the bracket-support to the brim or vizor I may be made in any desirable manner. Usually, however, the attachment is brought about by headed screws 13, passed through suitable apertures in the upper member of the bracket-support and through aperturesin the brim or vizor, and these screws 13 are held in place by cap-nuts 14:, located thereon at the outer ends of the screws and having bearing against the upper face of the said hat-brim or vizor, as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. I

The reflecting member 0 consists of a frame, of metal or like material, made as light as poswardly-extending flange members 0 located at the rear of the frame, and corresponding side flange members 0 as is shown in Fig. 5, thus producing an opening 15 at the rear portion of the said frame, as is shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5.

r This frame is open at its ends and comprises a back member 0, top and bottom members 0' and 0 top and bottom down-- IOU frame.

A mirror 16 or a reflecting material of any description is slid into the said frame of the reflecting member, so that the reflecting-surface of the reflector 16 will be exposed at the opening 15 in the said frame, while the edges of the reflecting material will be protected by the flange members 0 and c of the saidframe. The back of the mirror 16, as a mirror is preferably employed, is protected by a plate 17, of metal or other suitable material, and the said mirror is held in firm position relative to the rear opening 15 in the said frame of the reflector 0, preferably by means of two plates 18 and 19. The plate 19 is in engagement with the rear or inner face of the back member 0 of the said frame, as is illustrated best in Fig. 3, while the plate 18 occupies adiagonal position between the forward plate 19 and the protecting-plate 17, as is also shown best in Fig. 3. The said plates 18 and'19 may be properly termed fixingplates. As has been stated, they serve to hold the mirror 16 in position.

At the upper end of the intermediate fixing-plate 18 at each end registering bearings 20'are secured to the rear face of the said intermediate fixing-plate 18,as is shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and corresponding bearings 21 are secured to the forward fixing-plate 19 at a point between its center and lower edge, the bearings 21 occupying such a position that they may be brought into registry with the apertures 12 in the cheek or downwardly-extending side members 11 of the bracket-support B when the mirror is moved in the said bracket-support. The mirror is pivoted in the said bracket-support and is held in adjusted position by means of a combined pivotal and locking device D. (Shown in Fig.7.) This combined pivotal and locking device D is preferably made of spring-wire of a suitable gage and consists of an upper horizontal body member 22, downwardly-extending side members 23, and horizontal lugs 24, which extend in direction of each other from the lower extremities of the side members 23.

The frame of the reflector device 0 is closed at its ends by suitable box-caps 0, one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 6. These box-caps vO are preferably provided with front members 0 which correspond to the side flange members 0 of the mirror-frame and the end portions of the upper and lower flange members 0 as is shown in Fig. 4; but the back portion 0 of each box-cap O is preferably made of greater width than its front, so that the said back members 0 of the boxcaps may have a firm bearing against the front outer face of the back a of the mirror- These box-caps O are employed in order that when they are removed a new mirror may be introduced into the mirror-frame should the old one become worn, damaged, or broken. With reference to the combined pivotal and locking device D the body portion 22 is passed through the upper bearings 20 and out through suitable apertures in the side or cheek members 11 of the bracket-support B, as is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The side members 23 of the combined pivotal and locking device extend downward outside of the said cheek or side members 11 of the bracket-support B, as is shown in Fig. 4, and the lugs 24 at the lower ends of the side members of the said combined pivotal and locking device are adapted to be sprung into any one of a series of apertures 12 in the side pieces or cheeks of the bracket-support B and into apertures which are made in the outer end sections of the box-caps O, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4, the inner ends of the said lugs 24 entering the bearings 21, attached to the forward plate 19 in the mirrorframe, as is shown clearly in Fig. 3. It will thus be observed that the mirror and its frame may be given any desired inclination necessary to bring objects at the rear into the full line of vision of the wearer of the hat or cap, said objects being reflected by the mirror 16, and that the mirror and its frame after being adjusted are locked firmly in adjusted position and will not depart from such position until the mirror is purposely readjusted.

This deviceis exceedingly convenientforbicyclists, automobilists, horsemen, the drivers of vehicles, and even for pedestrians, since the wearer of the device without turning his head, but simply casting a glance at the mirror, is enabled to ascertain the position of objects at the rear.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Arear-viewhat-mirror,comprisingasupport, means for attaching the same to the under side of the vizor of a cap or the rim of a hat, a mirror-frame held within said support to rock upon a horizontal axis, a series of apertures in said support and pins adapted to enter said apertures to be engaged by the mirror-frame to hold the mirror in any desired position, as described.

2. A rear-view mirror adapted for attachment to the brim of a hat or the vizor of a cap, consisting of a bracket-support, means for attaching the said support to the brim or to the vizor, the said bracket-support being provided with a series of segmentally-arranged apertures, a framed mirror located within the said bracket-support, a combined pivotal and locking device passed through the said frame and sides of the said bracketsupport, and provided with side members having inwardly-extending lugs, which lugs are arranged to enter any of the apertures in the side members of the said bracket-support, and to enter the mirror-frame at a point at the rear of the mirror in the frame, as set forth.

3. A rear view mirror, consisting of a bracket-support, comprising a body member and side members extending from the body member, which side members are provided with series of registering segmentally arranged apertures, a frame located between the side members of the bracket-support, a mirror within the said frame, exposed ata portion of the frame, fixing-plates atthe rear of the mirror, bearings carried by the said fixing-p1ates, thebearings of one fixing-plate being below those of the other, and a combined pivotaland locking device, com prising a spring-wire bent to form a body passed through the side members of the bracket-support and the upper bearings at the rear of the mirror, side members extending downward outside of the said members of the bracket support, and inwardly-extending lugs at the lower ends of the side members of the combined pivotal and locking device, which lugs are adapted to envter the apertures in the side members of the bracket-support and the lower bearings at the rear of the said mirror, as set forth.

4;. The combination with the vizor of a cap or the brim of a hat, of a bracket-support detachably attached to the vizor or to the brim,

a mirror pivoted in the said bracket-support, and a combined pivotal and locking device for the said mirror, which combined pivotal and locking, device serves not only as a sup- ,port for the mirror in the supporting-bracket butalso serves to lock the said mirror in adopening at one side and open at both ends, re-

movable box-caps for the ends of the said frame, a mirror removably located in the said frame at the opening therein, and fixing-' plates located at the rear of the mirror within l the said frame, serving to hold the mirror in position, as set forth.

' 6. Inrear-view mirrors, a frame having an opening at one side and open at each end, a

, mirror removably located Within the said frame, exposed at the side opening in the frame, a protecting-plate for the rear of the mirror, fixing-plates located at the rear of the protecting-plate, one of the fixing-plates engaging with the back wall of the mirror-frame, the other fixing-plate occupying a diagonal intermediate position, and bearings at the end portions of the fixing-plates, the bearings of one fixing-plate being near the top of the plate and the bearings of the other fixing-plate at a point near the center of the said plate, as and for the purpose described.

7. Arear-view hat-mirror,comprisingasupport, means for attaching the same to the under side of the rim of a hat, said support having downwardly-extending parallel end sections, a mirror-frame held within said support to rock at its upper end upon a horizontal axis, opposing apertures at the upper ends of the downwardly-extending sections of the support to form axial supports for said frame, a series of apertures in each of said sections equidistant from said axial apertures, and a spring-rod passing through said axial apertu res to form an axis for the glass-frame, said rod having its ends extended outwardly through the sides of the support and bent downwardly parallel thereto and terminating in short sections bent inwardly again parallel with the main section of the rod, said short sections being adapted to be entered into any of said series of apertures to project therethrough to form stops for the free end of the glass-frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LYOORTES D. MERRICK.

Witnesses:

J. FRED. ACKER, JNo. M. BITTER. 

